[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 59 (Monday, March 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-7184]


[Federal Register: March 28, 1994]


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Part VII





Department of Education





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Strengthening Institutions Program; Notice Inviting Applications for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year 1994; Notice
 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

(CFDA NO. 84.031A)


Strengthening Institutions Program; Notice Inviting Applications 
for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1994

    Purpose of Program: Provide grants to eligible institutions of 
higher education to improve their academic quality, institutional 
management, and fiscal stability so they can become self-sufficient.
    This grant program should be seen as an opportunity for applicants 
to support those elements of the National Education Goals that are 
relevant to their unique missions.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 16, 1994.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 16, 1994.
    Applications Available: Applications will be mailed by April 1 to 
the Office of the President of all institutions that are designated as 
eligible to apply for a grant under the Strengthening Institutions 
Program.
    Available Funds: $23,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $25,000 to $35,000 for planning grants; 
$300,000 to $350,000 per year for development grants.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $30,000 for planning grants; 
$325,000 per year for five-year development grants.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 12 planning grants and 70 development 
grants.
    Project Period: Up to 12 months for planning grants; 60 months for 
development grants.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Special Funding Considerations: In tie-breaking situations 
described in 34 CFR 607.23 of the Strengthening Institutions Program 
regulations, 34 CFR 607.23, the Secretary awards additional points 
under Secs. 607.21 and 607.22 to an application from an institution 
which has an endowment fund for which the current market value, per FTE 
student, is less than the average, per FTE student, at similar type 
institutions; and has expenditures for library materials, per FTE 
student, which are less than the average, per FTE student, at similar 
type institutions.
    For the purposes of these funding considerations, an applicant must 
be able to demonstrate that the current market value of its endowment 
fund, per FTE student, or expenditures for library materials, per FTE 
student, is less than the following national averages for base year 
1990-91. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Average      Average  
                                                   market      library  
                                                  value of  expenditures
                                                 endowment       for    
                                                 fund, per   materials, 
                                                    FTE       per FTE   
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two-year Public Institutions...................     $1,425         $44  
Two-year Nonprofit, Private Institutions.......      6,683         100  
Four-year Public Institutions..................      1,699         159  
Four-year Nonprofit, Private Institutions......     29,175     244.00   
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 
85, and 86; and (b) the Strengthening Institutions Program Regulations, 
34 CFR part 607.
    Supplementary Information: On September 16, 1993, the Secretary 
published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for this program in 
the Federal Register (58 FR 48478).
    It is not the policy of the Department of Education to solicit 
applications before the publication of final regulations. However, in 
this case, it is necessary to solicit applications on the basis of the 
NPRM, with the modifications described below, to be able to implement 
section 314(c) of the HEA. That section requires the Secretary to 
notify an applicant by June 30, 1994 of (1) the score given the 
applicant by a panel of reviewers, (2) the recommendation of the panel 
with regard to such application, and (3) the Secretary's reasons for 
funding or not funding an application, and any modification in a panel 
recommendation with regard to an application.

Anticipated Changes to the NPRM

    Since the publication of the NPRM, Congress enacted the Higher 
Education Technical Amendments of 1993, Public Law 103-208. One of 
those technical amendments revised section 313(b) of the HEA.
    Prior to its amendment, section 313(b) of the HEA provided that 
``In awarding grants under this part, the Secretary shall give priority 
to applicants who are not already receiving a grant under this part.'' 
The Higher Education Technical Amendments of 1993 added the following 
exception to that section: ``Except that a grant made under section 
354(a)(1) shall not be considered a grant under this part.'' (Section 
354(a)(1) authorizes the Secretary to fund ``cooperative arrangement'' 
grants.)
    In proposed Sec. 607.13, the Secretary had provided that an 
institution could not apply for both an individual development grant 
and a cooperative arrangement grant. However, as a result of the 
amendment to section 313(b), that limitation has been eliminated and an 
applicant may apply for both types of grants. In addition, as a result 
of the amendment to section 313(b) of the HEA, a recipient of a 
cooperative arrangement grant does not fall into a lower funding 
priority, and Sec. 607.20(b) will be amended accordingly.
    The Secretary anticipates making the following two additional 
changes in the NPRM. If these changes are not ultimately made, 
applicants will be given the opportunity to revise their applications 
as necessary.
    Under the first anticipated change, in Sec. 607.11, an applicant 
must justify its failure to complete activities funded under a previous 
grant regardless of whether the applicant is requesting additional 
grant funds to complete those activities. In the NPRM, an applicant had 
to justify its failure to complete funded activities only if it was 
requesting additional grant funds to complete those activities.
    Under the second anticipated change, under Sec. 607.10, an 
applicant may choose a ``Dean'' to be a project coordinator or activity 
director under a grant and may use grant funds to pay the salary of 
that individual as long as that ``Dean'' does not report directly to 
the President of the applicant institution and does not have college-
wide administrative authority and responsibility.
    For Information Contact: Louis J. Venuto, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 3042, ROB-3, Washington, DC 
20202-5335. Telephone: (202) 708-8840. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
    Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including 
copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can 
be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board), 
telephone (202) 260-9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server at 
GOPHER.ED.GOV (under Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases). 
However, the official application notice for a discretionary grant 
competition is the notice published in the Federal Register.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057.

    Dated: March 22, 1994.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 94-7184 Filed 3-25-94; 8:45 am]
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